However, concerns have been raised the trend could prevent students from experiencing the benefits of living and studying in another part of the UK.

Mary Senior, Scotland official for the UCU lecturers’ union, said it was not surprising students were mainly staying north of the border given the level of tuition fees elsewhere.

But she students “got a lot more” from university than simply learning the subjects they study.

“By studying, meeting new people and sharing new ideas they become the rounded, critical thinkers society and the economy needs,” she said. “Moving away from home and studying in another part of the UK has traditionally been a positive life experience for many people.

“It’s a shame the marketisation of universities and tuition fees in England are stunting the numbers able to do so.”

The Sutton Trust report Home and Away shows around three quarters of Scottish students attend a university less than 55 miles away from their home, more than the 56 per cent in the UK as a whole who do so.

Comments & Moderation

Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here